DETROIT — Dinner and a movie. A casual night under the stars. A long walk on the beach.

Any of those might sound like a perfect evening to some. But Trevor Bauer’s idea of a good time is much more simple. For him, there’s nothing quite like firing a fastball at its max speed, all while a hitter grips his bat, kicks up his leg and tries to hit the ball out of the park.

Just my stuff against your stuff, man against man, who’s going to win?

Spshh. And who said he’s not a romantic?

Of course, firing a fastball on every pitch will probably lead to a brief career — even if that sucker is spinning into the zone at 100 mph. There’s a subtle art to pitching that isn’t lost on him. But in the game’s purest form, Bauer loves seeing how his best stacks up against the best of others.

Sometimes that means relying on his plus-curveball. Other times, he might lean on his newest toy, his slider. And some situations...